Life

How cute is he? And how equally strange is that title? Well, we had an interesting night last night. It started off like any other night with dinner at our fav pho place and a trip to Target (who else goes multiple times a week? I digress…). We were just getting home when our friends call to say they found this cute little guy chasing cars and after an exhaustive search, were unable to locate his family. I was thinking “sad story… what do you want me to do?” like any semi-reasonable person when my friend asked me to watch him and help find his family. That’s when it all clicked.

You see, I’ve been a little down on myself lately because I’ve been feeling like I’m not setting and achieving enough goals. I was bathed in the waters of Franklin Covey and 7 Habits and was truly converted. But like with most things, after a while your conviction can fade and mine was no exception. But then this dog.

You may remember back on my birthday last year I wrote a list of 30 goals before 30 and one of them was to foster a dog. I thought that this would be an easy one considering my friend runs a rescue and Austin is a no-kill city but heavens, the timing was always off. It was not for lack of trying, believe me(!), but I felt like life was constantly in the way and sending me the same message my husband was: Not now! That can be incredibly frustrating when you’re trying to achieve a goal that you feel like is a worthy and fairly selfless act.

So last night, after much cajoling and eventual husband acquiescing, this little guy came to stay and play with us. I wish I had videoed him because he has the most adorable little gait and walks like a little gentleman. This is where the whole Gaylord thing comes in. We couldn’t not give him some sort of name and after scrolling through other fancy British sounding names, he somewhat responded to Gaylord and it stuck. I’d like to say that it was all sunshine and roses but there was crying on his part and a slight allergy attack on mine. Thankfully we both made it and I awoke from my allergy med-induced sleep to texts and calls from his owner.

All the coughing and watery eyes were worth it because watching Gaylord (whose real name is Perry) see his owner again was the closest I’ve ever come to witnessing one of those touching reunification stories you see on Hallmark movies. Definitely my feel-good moment for the week. And selfishly, it feels like I can cross off “fostering a dog” from my list. It might not be considered fostering 100% but I feel like this was the universe lobbing me a slow pitch, letting me get an easy hit. And because my friends (and Google) are so awesome and it fit in so well with my baseball analogy, I feel like I have to share with you that there is actually a Hall of Famer named Gaylord Perry. He was a renowned cheater but let’s save that story for another day and keep our eye on the ball, er story.

So there’s my story on how being open and ready to help can also help you. It’s totally a cheesy trope but they exist for a reason, right? And getting to call an adorable little animal Gaylord was hilarious and almost as satisfying as completing one of my goals.

This is the time of the season when I always feel like I have too much stuff and while that’s probably at least a little true, part of it has to be that I don’t own any Christmas organizational storage containers. I always thought that they were for fancy people who didn’t have enough other things to buy but honestly, with each year, those boxes look better and better.

Our tree is not some gorgeous designer, pinterest-worthy tree. We fill our tree with ornaments from our life and travel and while they aren’t all antique, handmade, glass blown, bajillion dollar ornaments, they’re priceless to me because they represent us. While the world would certainly not end if one of them broke, it’s not like I can just pop over to Paris anytime I wish to replace it (although wouldn’t that be lovely!). And really, the boxes aren’t that bad if you know where to look. Check out this one from Target.

It’s in-store only (sorry guys) but it’s less than $10 and holds 64 ornaments. What’s also nice is that seeing your ornaments is now so much easier. No more digging through boxes and unwrapping paper for 15 minutes trying to find that one ball or another.

For all of you who don’t want to leave your house, this option is $5 off right now and has great reviews. It hold the balls a little bit more snuggly and let’s face it, the bag looks pretty and these can be easily stacked.

This last deal that I’ve found is this brass basket that is just north of $20 and would be perfect for beautifully holding all of those throws and blankets you’re surely going to need now that the weather is cold. Just roll up each blanket tightly and it becomes a beautiful and convenient way to add texture and interest into your room.

So wish me well as I desperately try to get myself off the couch and back to cleaning the house and clearing up decor.

You guys, this week is nuts! We’re still painting like crazy (I’ll have more pictures on that later next week) and we’re trying to pack things up and get them off to the new house while working and fitting in some sleep. I’m going to try to get posts up this week, but if not, know that I’m hustling trying to keep my life together and things will be back to normal in no time.

In the meantime, how adorable is this rug? It’s on sale for less than $15 which is nuts- I’m thinking about putting it on the back doorstep where things don’t have to be as serious. Anyway, hope you’re all having a fabulous day and I’ll check in soon!

My husband loves summer blockbusters. I do not. Movies packed with action but light on plot are not my idea of a great afternoon. But just because most movies out during the summer are explosion-filled fluff, doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great summer flicks out there.

Far From the Madding Crowd is based on the famous Thomas Hardy novel with the same title. I’ve actually already seen this one and I LOVED it. My husband did as well. The main character is strong, yet human and Carrie Mulligan does a wonderful job. This came out early in the summer so check for it at dollar theaters and Red box.

Mr Holmes is another British film with Ian McKellen as the famous Sherlock Holmes on his last case. I haven’t seen it yet but it’s on my list and the critics loved it!

This last movie is one I just heard about and can’t wait to see. Many people that have seen it say that it’s funny, touching, and the only issue with the film is that it’s too short. I love the idea the premise of the movie- that life can change and begin again at any time.

So what movies are you watching this summer? Have you seen any of these or recommend others?